Stunning 'Ice Castles' Slated for Wisconsin Lake

24 PHOTOS

Oct 16, 2018

Published Oct 16, 2018 at 10:07 AM

Mark your calendar: these "Ice Castles" are coming to Wisconsin this winter.

The stunning, internally-lit life-size castles, made by hand each winter by a Utah-based sculptor and his team, are slated to open in Lake Geneva at the end of December. It's one of six locations opening for the season across the country, including Midway, Utah; New Hampshire; Edmonton, Alberta; Stillwater, Minnesota; and Dillon, Colorado.

"Ice Castles features ice-carved tunnels, fountains, slides, frozen thrones and towering ice formations," the company said, noting each castle weighs more than 25 million pounds and is "built by hand and takes thousands of man-hours to create."

Though the exact opening date of Lake Geneva's ice castles will be determined by weather, the company says a date likely will be announced mid-December and pre-sale tickets will become available right after Thanksgiving. The castles typically stay open through early March.

The amazing structures are made entirely of ice, and LED lights frozen inside light them. "All of our Ice Castles are located next to a natural water source so all of our water returns directly into the environment to be used again by wildlife, people and plants," the company said.